Hamilton wins “the longest race of his life”: reactions from the top 3 in Singapore
Lewis Hamilton claimed a hard-fought victory, as evidenced by his remarks upon getting out of the car. Also discover the reactions of Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel, who finished second and third respectively at the end of the race.
He has indeed capitalized! After his astonishing lap this Saturday, Lewis Hamilton converted his pole into a victory in Singapore, the seventh of the season. Untroubled by Verstappen at the start, the Mercedes driver then led an ideal race, with an effective strategy, making only one stop on the 16th lap to cover Vettel’s stop one lap earlier. And even though the Briton covered almost all the laps in the lead, the day’s winner didn’t spare his efforts in the heat of Marina Bay.
« I’m exhausted, I think it was the longest race of my life », confided Lewis Hamilton to David Coulthard’s microphone. To put words into action, the four-time world champion first got on his knees to recover before gradually regaining his strength.
That winning business is thirsty work! 😅#SingaporeGP 🇸🇬 #F1 pic.twitter.com/AuES6M5l8g
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 16 /f1/news/22936-singapore-qualifications-magistral-hamilton-.html
The driver bearing number 44 then reflected on his perfect race, aided by a favorable circumstance, Verstappen overtaking Vettel after the pit stop. Hamilton still experienced a slight scare between the 37th and 38th lap, when overtaking undisciplined backmarkers, Sirotkin and Grosjean, who were battling.
« I got off to a good start. Max gave me a good fight. I was a bit unlucky with the traffic. I was even scared with those guys who didn’t let me pass right away, » admitted the main party, who was not worried by Verstappen at the end of the race.
From now on, Hamilton has a 40-point lead over Vettel, equating to one race and a third place lead. Enough to fill him with joy: what a day, what a weekend! The team didn’t give up, I want to congratulate all our guys at the factory.
However, the leader of the world championship remains clear-headed and is not really certain that Ferrari’s pace has disappeared. One thing is certain, he will go to Russia with a comfortable cushion of advantage over his rival.
And on a statistical level, the Briton joins the German at the top of the leaderboard in Singapore, with a fourth victory. Here he is with 69 career wins! 🎆 Cue the fireworks 🎆 @LewisHamilton #SingaporeGP 🇸🇬 #F1 pic.twitter.com/jP4s9CAr4X— Formula 1 (@F1) 16 September /f1/news/22936-singapore-qualifying-masterful-hamilton.html
For his part, Max Verstappen had nothing to lose. Without ammunition at the start, the Red Bull driver is satisfied to have regained his second place, lost to Vettel before the Safety Car.
« It’s a good result. It’s still a shame not to have tried an overtaking maneuver on Hamilton in the first lap. And even if we lacked top speed, we executed a great strategy. »
Despite a botched stop, his mechanics sent him back on track on lap 18 ahead of the Ferrari #5. « It was not a very simple pit exit. I had a lot of problems with my gearbox but I managed to keep my position.
specified the driver still aged 20.
His best chance was then this sequence of blue flags Grosjean-Sirotkin. Coming back within a second margin, the Dutchman didn’t play for the win afterward. He still finished ahead of Vettel at the end and secured the 17th podium of his career, the sixth of the year. With this conclusion just off the podium: we tried to follow Lewis but in the end, this second place is the best we could hope for.
Ceci étant, le vrai déçu de ce trio est bien évidemment Sebastian Vettel. Le pilote de la Scuderia Ferrari avait fait le job au départ avec ce dépassement audacieux sur Verstappen. Mais la stratégie choisie avec son équipe s’est avérée mauvaise. Coincé derrière Pérez à la sortie des stands, il retomba en troisième position après l’arrêt du Néerlandais.
His remarks illustrate his frustration upon arrival: « overall, we weren’t fast enough. We didn’t have the pace in this race. We tried to be aggressive at the start, but it didn’t work. Stopping so early wasn’t the right option. We couldn’t seize our chance. »
Disappointed with his team’s strategy, the former Red Bull driver then focused on managing his ultra-soft tires and car until the finish. An economical end to the race and a sharp observation:
« I had said at the beginning of the weekend that we could only fight ourselves. I think today we did not exploit the maximum of our capacities. » Gloomy faces at Ferrari in the Singapore night. Hamilton, Verstappen & Vettel share the podium for the third time 🏆🥈🥉 #SingaporeGP 🇸🇬 #F1 pic.twitter.com/OkrOttktTt — Formula 1 (@F1) 16 September /f1/actualite/22936-singapour-qualifications-magistral-hamilton-.html
